Colorado Springs Colorado

After leaving Amarillo, Texas we drove to Colorado Springs, Colorado and stayed on the Air Force Academy in their FamCamp which is the Air Forces name for their RV parks.  The Peregrine Pines FamCamp was a nice place to stay while in Colorado Springs.

One of the reasons we decided travel to Colorado at this time was due to my oldest son attending a military course at Fort Carson and so we made sure we were there the week he was.  We only got to see each other one night, but Will came over for dinner and then we visited for a while.  All his younger brothers and sisters just love it when they get to see their big brother Will.

All the kids with their big brother Will.

It is always good when you get to visit with family especially since we are always away from West Virginia and most of our family.

Probably the best place we visit while in Colorado Springs was the Cadet Chapel on the base.  We were lucky to go to their protestant service the Sunday we were in town.

The Cadet Chapel is one of the most unique churches in the United States and is very beautiful.  We were very happy to be able to attend a service there and worship the Lord.  I know there are more extravagant churches in the world, but if you are in Colorado Springs then you need to visit the Cadet Chapel.

One thing you will notice about the stain glass and colors in the chapel is that they are darker at the rear of the sanctuary and progressively get lighter toward the front towards the altar in the sanctuary.  This it to represent getting closer to God.

The Lively Family at the Cadet Chapel on the Air Force Academy.

The front of the Cadet Chapel.

Inside looking towards the altar.  Notice the lighter colored stain glass.

The pipe organ in the back of the sanctuary.  Notice the darker colored stain glass.
 

The right side of the sanctuary.

The left side of the sanctuary.

A side shot of the Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel.

Another landmark we visited while in Colorado Springs was the Garden of the Gods.  Admission is free due to the wishes of Charles Elliott Perkins who wanted it to be open and free to the public.  He bought the land back in 1879 to build a railroad, but decided that it was too grand not to share with the public.



Entering Garden of the Gods.

Tower of Babel.

Side view of some of the formations on the eastward side of the Garden of the Gods.


The next place we explored was Pikes Peak which is 14,115 feet above sea level.  There are two ways to get to the summit, ride the Cog Train or drive up the 19 mile scenic highway to the top.  We chose to drive up because that only cost us $54.00 versus $199.00 to ride the Cog Train.

 

One issue with driving is make sure you have plenty of gas since you will use a lot more driving up the mountain and then make sure you have good brakes when coming back down.  We geared down and let the engine do most of the braking so the brakes did not get too hot.

 

 Road up to Pikes Peak.

Another issue is that we only made it up to around 12,500 feet because a storm blew in and they closed the summit.  They will also stop the trains too, but I heard you have a better chance of getting to the summit on the train during bad weather than driving.

 The snow storm that kept us from going to the top of Pikes Peak.

Kids getting out at around 12,500 feet elevation to play in the snow. 

 

 

A beautiful view of the valley below from Pikes Peak. 

 

 A closer picture of the lake below from Pikes Peak.

Watch for Big Foot!

 

 



Kids playing on the rocks at around 12,500 feet elevation.

Big Foot Spotted!

We were disappointed that we did not make it to the top, especially since we wanted some of their famous donuts that are the only ones that are successfully baked at 14,000 feet elevation, but we still saw some beautiful scenery and had a good time.

We hope you liked our little tour of Colorado Springs and some of its attractions.  There is much more to see, but we only had time for the above.  Our visit with our son Will made it worth the trip and we were also able to visit our cousin Lloyd Kelley, and a good friend Ivette Orozco, so even better.

If you like our blog please follow us so we know.  Also friend us on Facebook because the more friends you have, the better.  We have made so many friends on the road and hope to make more.

Until next time God bless and safe travels.

Thanks!
Don, Misty, and Kids...

Twenty one states visited so far.

 

 



Amarillo Texas

After leaving Little Rock, Arkansas we headed over to Amarillo, Texas on our way to Colorado Springs, Colorado.  We decided to stay there a week and take in whatever sights there were.

The RV park we decided to stay in was the AOK Camper Park located off of I-40 at Exit 80.  The reason I mention this is that if you are a Passport America member you can stay there for $12.50 a night.  It wasn't fancy, but well worth the price.

Sunrise at AOK Camper Park in Amarillo, Texas.

One of the first things we did was go eat at The Big Texan Steak Ranch which is more of a tourist attraction than steak house, in my humble opinion.  

The atmosphere was great with a band playing songs, everyone was dressed up like cowboys, and the kids get their kid's meals with a cowboy hat.  They will even come get you in a limo and then take you back home, if you like.

Limousines used to pick you up at The Big Texas Steak Ranch.

It is a Route 66 attraction.

If you can eat this 72oz steak, it is yours free!

A look inside the dining room at The Big Texas Steak Ranch.

The prices were a little high and the steaks were not as good as you would have thought.  Misty ordered her's medium well and it came to the table rare.  She had it sent back and it came back just as rare as it was in the beginning.  So we had it taken off the bill since she could not eat it.  I ordered a rib-eye which was OK, but for the price I would have thought it would have been better.

It is worth going there to see it in person, but we would not eat there again since in our opinion the food quality does not warrant the price.

The next thing we went to see was the Cadillac Ranch which is a local work of art or just art.  If you click on the name above, it will take you to a good news story all about the ranch.  We painted LivelyRV.com on a couple of the Cadillacs so that we would be remembered being there for about thirty or forty minutes.  You bring your own spray paint and color them up.  It does not take long for anything you paint to be covered up by other tourists doing the same thing.

The Cadillac Ranch is in view.

Chloe, Courtney, Avery, Ian, Tia, and Ethan at the Cadillac Ranch.

Putting our mark on one of the Cadillacs.

Tia and Avery climbing onto the Cadillac that we branded with LivelyRV.com.

Cadillac Ranch.

Another site we visited was Palo Duro Canyon State Park which is located in Canyon, Texas.  It is claimed to be the second largest canyon in the United States with the Grand Canyon being the only one larger.

Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

Tia, Courtney, Avery, Ethan, Chloe, and Ian at Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

A picture of the famous Lighthouse formation in the park from the visitor's center.

Another picture of the Lighthouse from the visitor center's telescope.

The kids all became Junior Rangers at the park and received their patches.  Unfortunately we did not have time to walk the trail to the Lighthouse formation, but if we ever go back, we will.

Another place we visited while in Amarillo, Texas was the Jack Sisemore RV Museum.  It is located at a RV dealership in the back so when you walk in just say you are there to see the museum.  The admission is free and it has a nice collection of motorcycles, RVs, and other items.  It is worth the trip to kill an hour or two.

You may recognize one of the RVs in the museum as the one in the movie RV with Robin Williams and Jeff Daniels.  If you have never watched it, then you should.  We actually rented it off of Amazon Prime to let the kids watch it.  It is rated PG and if I remember correctly, it was a pretty clean movie.

Ethan, Tia, Courtney, Chloe, Avery, and Ian at the Jack Sisemore RV Museum.

A Harley with a left sidecar.

Just some of the Harleys that are in his collection.

 

 

 

Does the red and white RV look familiar?

It is a 1948 Flxible bus used in the movie RV with Robin Williams and Jeff Daniels.

Some of the pictures from the movie RV.

There was also a mock service station in the museum.

Chloe touring one of the travel trailers in the collection.

Avery behind the wheel in the Flxible.

We also visited the Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument located in Fritch, TX.  This is where the mammoth hunters got the best flint for their weapons over 13000 years ago.

While we were there the kids also earned their Junior Ranger badges, which is always a good way for them to learn some history about the park.

The kids taking the Junior Ranger oath after earning their badges.

I did manage to get some nice pieces of flint while at the quarries, which is not from the actual site, but from surrounding farms who gather it for souvenirs for the park.  It is illegal to pick up Alibates flint from the national park.

I will tumble them to shine them up and maybe make some jewelry out of the best pieces.  That will be another blog though, if I even do it.  So many things to do with so little time.

Alibates flint on the right with stones from Madagascar on the left that are going to get tumbled.

The quarries are located next to Lake Meredith National Recreation Area which at the time was very dry.  The lake is sixty three feet lower than its normal levels.

A picture in Lake Meredith which is located next to the Alibates Flint Quarries.

It was so low that most of the boat launches in the upper part of the lake are bone dry as you can tell from the below picture of our GPS.

Where's the water?

So that was our exploring while in Amarillo Texas, which was quite a bit.  Now we will be heading to Colorado Springs, CO to see what all we can explore there.

We are blessed to be able to travel the way we do and thank God everyday for His blessings and His son Jesus who saved us from our sins.  God bless and safe travels.

Thanks!
Don, Misty, and Kids...

Twenty states visited so far.

 

More For Little Rock Arkansas

While waiting for our RV to get fixed we ventured out to see some more of the surrounding area and visited Pinnacle Mountain State Park which is just outside Little Rock Arkansas.

The cone shaped peak of the mountain raises above the Arkansas River valley over one thousand feet with two trails available to take you to the summit.  We decided to hike up the West Summit Trail which is 1 1/2 miles long round trip.

West Summit Trailhead.

The sign did state that the trail was steep, rugged, and required strenuous walking, and I would say that it was 100% accurate.  Once you get to the face, it almost requires climbing.  After we made it to the summit, I was thinking maybe it was too much for our five year old daughter and Misty, since she was in the early stages of pregnancy (13 weeks).

Arriving at the West Summit Trailhead.

So far the trail does not look too awfully hard.

So up the mountain we go.  It was a beautiful day for hiking, but the closer we got to the top of the mountain, the stronger the gusts of wind got.  There was a couple of times I questioned our decision of climbing the mountain and wondered if maybe we should turn back, but the kids would not have it.

Ian, Ethan, Avery, Tia, Chloe, and Courtney playing on the rocks while climbing up to the summit.

At this point we are about half way up Pinnacle Mountain to the summit.

The trail is starting to get steeper.

Misty is taking it like a trooper and brining up the rear.

Onward and upward!

It just keeps going.

A beautiful view of Lake Maumelle on the Arkansas River.

At this point we were .3 miles from the summit, but I was thinking maybe we bit off more than we could chew, but we were so close, so we kept trucking on.  Plus the kids were burning off lots of energy, which is always good.

You Are Here

Tia, Courtney, and Chloe taking a break.

Courtney, Tia, Ethan, Don, Ian, Chloe, and Avery.

As we got closer to the top it became apparent that we had our work cut out for us.  What on earth were we thinking?  This is way too much for us to handle!  Push on we must!

Courtney is still smiling.

So are Tia and Chloe while taking a break.

The boys are still climbing and getting too far ahead of us.

Courtney and Misty bringing up the rear.

As we get closer to the top, we can see the parking lot below.

Here is the view from the parking lot up to where the previous picture was taken.

As you can see in the next set of pictures, the trail is getting a lot steeper and treacherous.  Its not like we are scaling Mount Everest, but we do have to be watchful of the kids and where we step, because a fall up here would not end well.

The wind was also blowing which could make you lose your balance and fall which would have been a bad thing.  The unexpected gusts were the worst, because they would catch you off guard.

We were lucky that it was early spring and not hot enough yet for snakes.  I would have to figure they would love all the rocks and if we saw one, then the hike would be over because Misty and Courtney would both probably have heart attacks.

The closer we get to the top, the steeper it gets.

Courtney is holding on so the wind does not blow her away.

Now, in the picture below you have a drop off on the right and the steep trail on the left.  While navigating the mountain, we look over and some of the kids, to include Chloe, were climbing up this narrow ridge to the crest.  I thought Misty was going to have the baby right then and there.

After I recovered from my heart attack, I politely asked the kids to keep to the trail so as not to fall off the mountain.  Of course by politely I mean on the inside, because, you probably could have heard me a mile away screaming at the kids. 

If you will notice the individual at the top of the picture next to the pine tree, you can get a better idea of just how big and steep it is.

The ridge up to the crest of the mountain.

This is what was on the other side of where they were climbing.

The face of the mountain were the kids were climbing next to..

Needless to say, our hearts did skip a beat when we saw where they were climbing.  The thought process of "What in the heck are we doing?" kicked in again, but we are so close to the summit, we just can not quit now.  I've always heard that what does not kill you only makes you stronger or stupider?  I'm not quite sure now.

Finally after a good bit of climbing we made it to the saddle between the two peaks of Pinnacle Mountain.

One of the two peaks on top of Pinnacle Mountain.

The view from top of the mountain.

Avery, Chloe, Dad, Ian, Ethan, Tia, and Courtney on top of Pinnacle Mountain.

Looking down towards the parking lot of the park.

Courtney, Avery, Ethan, Tia, Chloe, Dad, and Ian standing on top of the World.

Don and Misty posing for a well deserved picture on top of Pinnacle Mountain.

The kids taking a break on top of the mountain.

Taking it easy on a natural couch on top of the mountain.

A pantographic view from the top of Pinnacle Mountain.

Now starts the trek back down the mountain, which was harder on us than the climb up.  It was like going down a set of a thousand steps.

Tia and Chloe starting back down the mountain.

All in all it was a good day out with fun and exercise.  No one was hurt while climbing up or down the mountain except for maybe some sore muscles the next day.

Probably the most fun the kids had though was playing at the playground at the bottom of the trails in the park.  We have no idea where the kids had the extra energy stored since our legs felt like jello afterwards and we felt too exhausted to take another step!

Kids having fun playing at the playground.

Once again we are so blessed to be able to see all the places we do as a family and know there are many more places to see before we are done.  God is good to us and keeps us safe in our travels.

We are also blessed with all of the people we meet along the way.  We have met so many good families and individuals on our journey and hope to meet more in the future.

So we survived our Pinnacle Mountain expedition and lived to tell about it.  It is someplace you need to visit if you ever have the time in Little Rock. 

Safe travels and God bless you and all those you love.

Thanks!
Don, Misty, and Kids...

States we have visited so far.